UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 18, Page 1
February 6, 1992
Dialogues to explore issues

     Beginning this spring, the University will sponsor a series of
public forums aimed at giving campus community members a close look at
the ideas surrounding controversial and contemporary issues in
America.
     Known as "Delaware Dialogues," this ongoing series is intended to
give students, faculty, staff and area residents an opportunity to hear
lectures from two scholars with opposing viewpoints, Margaret Andersen,
associate provost for academic affairs, said. A panel of University
experts will serve as respondents to the visiting lecturers, who will
speak for about 30 minutes each, she said.
     One forum will be held each semester, with the first to be held in
early to mid-March, Andersen said. The subject for the March forum will
be "Race Differences in Intelligence Testing: What Does It Mean?" Guest
speakers will include professors from Johns Hopkins and Princeton
universities.
     Maxine Colm, vice president for employee relations, said "Delaware
Dialogues" will bring together two scholars with "impeccable credentials
and differing views" to entice the campus community, particularly
students, to examine controversial issues.  If the issues are not
specific to the University, she said, they will probably relate to
controversies in higher education in general.
     "The hope and the expectation are that those students who attend
will learn from the speakers and from each other, and will profit from
the exposure to different viewpoints," Colm said.  Students will have
opportunities to ask questions and respond to the speakers, she
said.
     James Newton, professor and director for the of Black American
Studies Program and chairperson of the Commission to Promote Racial and
Cultural Diversity, said the program is intended to promote discussions
and, ultimately, the acceptance of different viewpoints. He said future
topics for "Delaware Dialogues" could include Afrocentrism versus
Eurocentrism in education and the boundaries around First Amendment
rights.
     "The campus should be a leader in stimulating conversations," he
said.  "This program is really intended to enhance the University as an
arena for the open exchange of ideas.
     "The evening programs will be administered by the University Honors
Program, Colm said. For information, call 831-1195.
                                              -Stephen M. Steenkamer